Phone number disconnected

[gwawalley]

Hi everyone 

My phone number was disconnected in late February of this year, and I’m wondering if there’s any team at Vodafone that could help me get it back? 
For context: I’m a British student studying overseas, but I’m planning to return to the U.K. soon. I’ve had my old number for 15ish years now, and would of course love to get it back (although it’s currently in quarantine and waiting to be given out again). I had the opportunity to top up whilst last back in the U.K., but I came back for a family bereavement, so it wasn’t “high priority” in January. 
Normally, I have my foreign SIM in my phone, but by January when I went to put my Vodafone SIM back in, the number wouldn’t allow me to reconnect (presumably as it had already been put ‘on notice’ by that point). 
I’m wondering if anyone in the sales team specifically would be able to help in this matter? I’ve been told over the chat forum that the number is ‘long gone,’ but when I spoke with the complaints team yesterday about it, they confirmed the number is inactive and currently disconnected. 
I’m wondering if it’s just Vodafone’s tech/policy preventing it from being reconnected? I was told it’s OFCOM rules that required Vodafone to disconnect after 180 days of inactivity, but OFCOM made it clear that this is entirely at the discretion of the network https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/foi/2022/september/retrieving-a-...

I’m curious if there’s any way in which I could have the number reconnected, or if it’s technologically impossible for that to happen? If it’s policy alone, then I’d recommend that Vodafone doesn’t just text the number of a SIM that isn’t guaranteed to be in the phone (hence the 180 days of inactivity) but emails the customer too to alert them that their number is due to be disconnected. It is ultimately my fault as I didn’t make any chargeable activity on the number whilst it was connected, but again, it’s not what was at the top of my list of priorities in January. 

Any help whatsoever would be really appreciated. 

[Lucy_F]

Hi @gwawalley Sorry to hear about this situation and your lack of success to obtain the desired resolution. Our system does not allow us to reconnect a number after it's been disconnected for over 90 days. Meaning we physically can no longer reconnect that number. You can query allocating the number to a brand new service with our Sales Team via 03333040191 or Live Chat, however it's very unlikely to be possible. I apologise there isn't much we can do to help you in this situation. 

[gwawalley]

Hi Lucy,

Whilst I was back in the U.K. in August, I went to the Vodafone store on Princes Street and discovered that the number is still not yet connected to any U.K. network. I also checked whether it showed up as an iMessage number for example, with it again not coming up. 

Is it not possible whatsoever to find out when/where the number has been issued (if at all) and to allow me to contact that network? 

[Tal]

Hi @gwawalley. With the number being disconnected now, it won't show if it is allocated to us or any other network, but from experience or what I have seen before normally the number stays with us for 6 months sometimes more but it's not available for reconnection only random allocation as the system locks the number of from the reconnection option.

[gwawalley]

Hi Tal,

What I’m wondering is why it couldn’t be randomly allocated, and then either you let me know where the SIM is, or if there’s absolutely anyone else who could reconnect it? After all, it is Vodafone’s system 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Tal]

Hey @gwawalley. The random allocation is up to the system now, as it's placed in a pool of numbers and the system will allocate the number randomly, this can happen within a few months and sometimes takes much longer and sometimes if we don't allocate the number randomly, it may get allocated to another operator and they allocate the number to a new user.

The current issue is if the number passes 90 days after the disconnection the system locks it off as it's sits in the number pool now and wont allow a reconnection it just randomly allocates it to a new connection when it's time or new network.